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Monday, October 19, 2009

From Australia With Love

Despite the sleep deprivation due to late-night writer's block and occasionally being wracked with guilt when I fall short of posting regularly, blogging is a rewarding endeavor. It's not rewarding in the sense that I've landed a book deal or TV show, but that's not why I started in the first place (though, don't get me wrong, BRAVO; I'm totally game to talk-- call me?). A favorite writer of mine, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once wrote, "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it," and that pretty much captures it for me. I write because it comes naturally, and I write about yoga and wellness because I've been a yogi longer than I've had a driver's license and a teacher for almost a decade, so it's what I know best. If I had to write a blog about hedge funds or horse racing, it would probably suck. In other words, I abide by a simple writers' credo: Write what you know.

What I didn't know was how much I'd receive in return, for my toiling in cyber space. Because of you, dear reader, this blog transformed from a lark to a labor of love.

I simply didn't expect the level of interaction with an audience that a blog affords. Readers send friendly emails to share their yoga experiences and epiphanies, ask insightful questions that inevitably inspire future posts, post astute comments directly to the blog, and further spread the love by linking, following, re-tweeting, and pledging their official approval of OmGal.com by becoming a fan on Facebook. Former yoga students and childhood friends have tracked me down through the blog-- along with one ex-boyfriend, which was slightly less enjoyable (there's a reason we're exes), but I digress . . .

People cozy up in this corner of the blogosphere to read, relax, and as one om gal put it "counterbalance all the polluting of my brain that I do on Perez." Recently, I learned that this occurs even in the far reaches of the globe, as in, Australia. Yup, it's true; Hugh Jackman wrote me an email this week to say that he loooooooves the blog. He reads it every morning, while eating a batch of my pancakes before his workout.

OK, that's a lie. To my knowledge, Wolverine is not a follower of Om Gal. [Sigh].

However, a fabulous yoga apparel designer is, which to a lycra-loving clotheshorse, like me, is a close second. This designer inquired whether I might accept some samples from her line. After taking a quick looksy at the Abi and Joseph website, I agreed to test-drive new duds from Down Under. By the time my air mail package arrived in Boston, I was overjoyed.

And, who could blame me? The proud owner of a luxe, new pair of yoga pants (that come in "LONG!") and two elegant camisoles, I can't decide if I'm more thrilled about the clothes or the discovery that OmGal.com's readership includes Aussies.

Interested in infusing your own wardrobe with some stylish Abi and Joseph gear? Order online and use the code OMGAL to get 10% off. Like I said, blogging is a rewarding endeavor, ideally, for writers and readers alike.

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Rebecca Pacheco photographed in Boston by Jonathan Pozniak for Lululemon

Welcome, Om Guys & Gals!

Rebecca Pacheco is a writer and yogi who began practicing yoga at the age of 16 and teaching at the age of 20. For the past decade, she has worked with students of all levels, including beginners and experienced yogis. She has appeared in national ad campaigns for Reebok, Ryka, and New Balance and taught at an internationally-renowned yoga studio. The World According to Om Gal is her creation and your new favorite hOMepage.